AIO vs SEO Copywriting: Why writing for Robots is still a bad idea
AIO and GEO have been taking centre stage in the SEO world. This is largely related to the popularisation of large language-models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude and DeepSeek, and combined with Google’s focus on displaying answers on SERPs (search engine results pages) instead of directing users to websites.
Particularly with advice on how AIO / GEO copywriting is completely different from the more familiar blog SEO copywriting.
If you’ve been hanging out in marketing circles lately, you’ve probably heard the buzzwords: AIO (Artificial Intelligence Optimised) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimised).
The pitch from pundits usually goes like this: “Forget humans! Write for the machines! LLMs and Google bots are the future!” And then, of course, there’s an invoice attached.
In this article we explain why adding the tactic of generating content purely to influence Google and LLMs may have short term gains, but will incur long-term damage, and why traditional, timeless SEO copywriting (done well, with quality the highest priority), remains the best route for visibility.
Why AIO/GEO copywriting isn’t different from SEO copywriting
Let’s start with the claim: AIO (Artificial Intelligence Optimised) / GEO (Generative Engine Optimised) copywriting services often propose to generate content for machines (LLMs, search-engine crawlers, bots) rather than for human readers.
This is not a novel idea. Black-hat SEOs tried similar tricks years ago, stuffing keywords like a Thanksgiving turkey, as soon as it became clear what will improve your position on Google. Google didn’t love it then, and it doesn’t love it now. The search engine, like people, isn’t fond of being manipulated and has been actively combatting poor quality content since 2011.
Google Panda focused on promoting good quality content
Since Google ‘Panda’, the search giant has been on a mission to reward high-quality, user-focused content and demote thin, low-value pages (Infidigit). Then came the Google Hummingbird update in 2013/2014, which shifted things further: it marked a move from keyword-matching to understanding natural language, user intent, and context. In other words? Google wants you to write like a human, not a malfunctioning chatbot.
Fast forward to the core updates in November 2023 and March 2024
More recently, algorithmic updates continue to penalise content that appears to exist purely for search engines or ‘machines’, rather than humans. For instance, one overview lists the following:
The September-November 2023 core updates focused on promoting useful and original content, while the March 2024 update punished low-quality content more severely by demoting sites in SERPs. The message is louder than ever: If your content exists only for machines, your rankings will tank (and yes, ‘tank’ is the technical term).
If you’re planning on creating content for machines only (i.e., not making it genuinely useful for human readers) you risk negatively impacting your rankings. Quality, human-oriented content remains central to a well-considered digital marketing plan.
Well-written SEO copy has addressed LLM needs since 2015
Some AIO/GEO experts say: “Just focus on answering a user’s search query, because large language models focus on doing exactly that.”
And yes, this is true. It just isn’t a new concept. The update to Hummingbird back in 2013/14 already meant that search engines were evolving to better understand natural language and intent.
In layman’s terms: good SEO copywriting already does what AIO/GEO claims to do. It answers questions clearly, uses natural language, and is structured so both humans and search engines understand it. In other words, SEO copywriting has been machine-friendly since before AI was cool.
What is SEO copywriting?
SEO copywriting is creating content that speaks to humans, answers their questions and addresses their needs. It is not only easy to read and valuable, but also structured in a way that search engines can understand.
This is the overlap of ‘SEO and copywriting’.
Best practices for SEO friendly copywriting – that still work in 2025
We’ve written an article on how to write copy that ranks, but here’s a short summary to help you understand what’s needed for human and machine consumption alike:
- Answer the user’s question clearly – don’t make the reader dig through fluff; get to the point.
- Use conversational, natural language – avoid keyword-stuffing and robotic phrasing to push internal linking opportunities.
- Structure content with headings/subheadings (H1, H2, H3…) – this helps humans skim and search engines understand the hierarchy of the content.
- Treat each heading as an extract that answers the question – search engines and LLMs use the body beneath a specific heading to answer the question in their results.
- Break your content up using shorter paragraphs and bullet points – online readers often skim; breaking up text improves readability. Short paragraphs and bullet points = happy readers.
- Include relevant keywords naturally (for example ‘seo copywriter’, ‘what is seo copywriting’, ‘seo friendly copywriting’), but only where they make sense. Sprinkle, don’t dump!
- Provide value and uniqueness – original insights, examples, or practical take-aways make the difference between good and mediocre content. If your content could be written in five minutes, Google will notice.
- Use internal links and external authoritative sources – this helps establish context and trust, showing Google that you’ve done your research. Internal links help with context; external links add credibility.
These practices are what professional search engine optimisations copywriters and specialists have done since before the rise of AI.
The risk of creating similar content, for humans and large language models
If you try to write content for humans and for machines (i.e., ‘machine-first’ content), you may run into a couple of serious SEO problems:
- Content cannibalisation
If you publish multiple pages with overlapping content (thinking ‘we’ll cover all possible queries for LLMs’), the pages are at risk of competing for the same search query. When search engines struggle to decide which page will answer the question, it demotes all the pages, diluting your site’s authority.
- Poor user experience
If your content is optimised heavily for machines (LLMs, bots) rather than for people, a human visitor might land on your page, but find it awkward, mechanical, or unhelpful. If users bounce quickly or don’t engage, that sends negative signals to search engines – hurting your rankings.
- Long-term sustainability and ranking vulnerability
Because algorithm updates increasingly punish content that exists only to attract bots rather than to serve humans, your business runs the risk of losing all visibility on SERPs (best-case scenario) or receiving a manual action from Google (worst).
- Stagnation in value
If you treat content creation as only ‘feeding the machine for ranking purposes’, you may neglect the value human readers will bring. Content marketing’s primary focus has always been to create awareness of, and affinity with, businesses.
Creating AI-slop for machines, that users accidentally find, leaves a poor impression with the user. It doesn’t build trust or affinity. It just makes readers wonder if your site was written by a Roomba.
In layman’s terms: writing ‘for machines’ doesn’t mean ‘ignoring humans’ – the two are inseparable. It’s better to prioritise humans, while structuring your content so machines can understand it.
What this means for businesses looking to compete in the age of AIO / GEO
If you’re a business owner, marketing manager, or CMO, here’s what you and your team or agency should be doing right now to compete in the AIO / GEO / SEO landscape.
Revisit content on your website and ask the following questions:
- Is this content still relevant?
Review relevance against the topic’s timeliness. Has new legislation, new products / features, or new market conditions changed? Does it still serve the same user problem? Are competitors doing something better? If your content is outdated (facts, figures, user-needs) then it should be updated.
- Does it add real value to the reader?
Value is determined by whether the content solves a reader’s problem, answers their question, gives them a next step, or saves them time/money/effort.
Example: If you’re a company that helps with legislative compliance (for instance, workplace safety regulations), value might mean a clear, up-to-date explanation of the regulation change, what it means to the business, a checklist to implement compliance, and links to resources.
If your content is generic, rehashed, or superficial, it lacks real value and search engines will pick this up and demote the content.
- Is it well-structured and easy to read?
Online readers tend to scan more than they read every word. Studies show that users read at most around 20–30% of the words on an average web page.
Research also shows readers often follow an ‘F-pattern’ (scanning across the top, then down the left side) when viewing web-pages.
Proper use of heading tags (H2, H3, H4, etc.), and formatting (like bullet points and short paragraphs), help both humans and search engines.
- Is this written for a human?
Or rather, will you read the article if you had come across it when trying to solve a problem you have?
If the article doesn’t entice you to read it, because it doesn’t inform, connect, or guide them, you’ll be losing visibility on SERPs and interest from users.
If you answer ‘no’ to two or more of these questions, then you should have your copy rewritten by a professional SEO copywriting company or specialist.
These are professionals who base content creation on thorough keyword research, user intent, good structure, and human value.
Bottom line
Search engines evolve, AI gets smarter, but one thing hasn’t changed since 2011:
Write for people. Structure for machines. Do that well, and you’ll win both the human heart and the algorithm’s brain.
The volatility in search engine marketing and the emergence of large language models brings a lot of uncertainty. We understand that there are meaningful changes in the way we measure SEO success.
Our clients have been celebrating the leads generated from ChatGPT after we added UTM Source tracking scripts to their websites that sent the data to their CRMs. When asked what we’ve been doing, the answer remained the same: SEO.
